Nearly two months and 13 matches later, Virat Kohli finally played like… well, the Virat Kohli. The superstar India batter, who had been struggling for runs, played a vintage Kohli-esque knock, scoring a fine 73 for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Gujarat Titans in an IPL 2022 match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. This was Kohli's second half-century of the current IPL season, and while the previous one too had come against GT, this one had a Kohli stamp to it. Also Read: 'I rate him very highly. A dangerous player who can hit shots everywhere' - Sachin Tendulkar on 'under-rated' IPL batter
"I liked the positive attitude shown by the Bangalore batters. Virat took the initiative and he started attacking. In this match, I really liked one thing in particular, and that was the precision in his footwork and like they say, showing the face of the bat. It was visible and I really liked that. Both batters are fit and their running between the wicket is brilliant," Tendulkar said on his YouTube video.
Kohli struck eight fours and two sixes during his 54-ball knock but it was his maximum off Rashid Khan that Virat reached his fifty with stood out for Tendulkar. Both of Kohli's sixes came off Rashid but the manner in which Virat nonchalantly whipped an in-dipper over deep midwicket to get to his half-century off 33 balls was a sight to behold.
"The shot Virat played against Rashid, to reach his fifty, was just brilliant. I thought he noticed that it's a leg spinner, and the length of the ball was close to his feet, and at the last moment, he used his wrist to give it elevation. I loved it because it wasn't a wild slog at all. He read the bowler well and being aware of the length, he played that shot at the last moment. Overall, Virat batted brilliantly I felt and Faf played a superb supporting role. That was smart cricket," said Tendulkar.
{{/usCountry}}"The shot Virat played against Rashid, to reach his fifty, was just brilliant. I thought he noticed that it's a leg spinner, and the length of the ball was close to his feet, and at the last moment, he used his wrist to give it elevation. I loved it because it wasn't a wild slog at all. He read the bowler well and being aware of the length, he played that shot at the last moment. Overall, Virat batted brilliantly I felt and Faf played a superb supporting role. That was smart cricket," said Tendulkar.
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